Adeola Akeju

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“Collaborative problem-solver leveraging technology to drive impact, build communities, and deliver meaningful results.”

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria

Fun fact about yourself: I was born on my parents’ first wedding anniversary – making every birthday a double celebration.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria B.Sc. Computer Science

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? The Clinton Health Access Initiative – Associate, Digital Health

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Chicago

Where will you be working after graduation? Consultant, BCG Chicago

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: At Booth, I have focused on building community and supporting others’ growth. As Co-Chair of the Booth Africa Club, I led initiatives that strengthened engagement among African students and allies. As an Admissions Fellow and Ambassador, I interviewed prospective students and mentored applicants, helping shape the incoming class. I also served as a LEAD Facilitator, where I guided first-year students through leadership development and was recognized with an award for fostering collaboration and building on others’ ideas. Additionally, I supported first-year students pursuing consulting by leading mock interview preparation across Booth Africa, the Management Consulting Group, and Career Services.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Serving as a LEAD Facilitator was a real highlight of my Booth journey. I intentionally stepped into a high-visibility leadership role that pushed me beyond my comfort zone by facilitating discussions, managing group dynamics, and delivering real-time feedback to peers.

Through this experience, I helped shape the onboarding journey for the Class of 2027 while developing my own leadership voice. More importantly, I built lasting relationships and gained confidence in leading with empathy and adaptability – skills I will carry into my career.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? At the Clinton Health Access Initiative, I led stakeholder alignment for a national digital health strategy across four Nigerian government departments with historically siloed operations. Securing consensus required navigating competing priorities and building trust across stakeholders.

I identified champions within each department, tailored engagement strategies to their needs, and facilitated cross-functional workshops to align on shared goals. By leveraging partnerships with organizations like WHO, I strengthened credibility and momentum.

The result was a unified strategy that improved public health campaign efficiency by over 300%. This experience reinforced my ability to drive impact in complex environments through empathy, persistence, and structured problem-solving.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Chicago Booth for its “Chicago Approach,” which emphasizes rigorous, data-driven problem solving. I wanted to strengthen my ability to navigate ambiguity with structured thinking, particularly in technology and strategy.

Booth’s flexible curriculum allows me to pair analytical rigor with behavioral science, equipping me to not only design solutions, but also drive adoption among stakeholders. This combination is critical for the type of impact I want to have in consulting and beyond.

Equally important was Booth’s people and culture. During my application process, I experienced a genuine “pay it forward” mindset as students generously offered guidance, mentorship, and support without expectation. That openness and intellectual curiosity continue to define my experience, reinforcing my belief that Booth is not only a place to grow as a thinker, but also as a leader within a deeply collaborative community.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Chris Collins stood out for his ability to make leadership deeply personal and practical. His class created space for honest introspection while grounding discussions in real-world application.

Through case discussions and exercises, he challenged us to reflect on how we lead, not just what we know. That balance of self-awareness and actionable insight made his teaching both memorable and impactful.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Strategies and Processes of Negotiation was particularly impactful. The course highlighted how trust directly influences outcomes – often determining whether parties achieve optimal results in the business world.

Through simulations, I saw how a lack of trust led to suboptimal agreements. I’ve since applied this lesson by prioritizing relationship-building and alignment in team settings, a mindset I will carry into my consulting career.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Booth Global Village was one of my favorite events because it celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of the Booth community. Cultural affinity groups come together to showcase their heritage through food, music, and activities, creating an immersive and joyful experience.

What stood out most was how naturally it brought people together over food, laughter, and shared curiosity, highlighting a truly inclusive and collaborative culture.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would engage earlier and more deeply with Booth’s resources particularly cross-school courses, competitions, and faculty relationships. Booth offers exceptional access, and starting sooner would have allowed me to maximize both learning and impact.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? In my Power and Influence class, the Textile Corporation of America case stood out for how it reframed my understanding of opportunity. John Mitchell had rare access to senior leadership and visibility into critical issues yet struggled to convert that into impact.

Instead of building influence within the organization, he became frustrated and ultimately left at a pivotal moment. The key lesson for me was that success is not just about capability; it requires navigating power dynamics, building relationships, and exercising patience to turn access into meaningful impact.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Chicago has been an incredible introduction to the U.S. Its architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and riverfront create a unique backdrop for daily life.

Beyond its beauty, Chicago’s position as a major business hub provides direct access to companies and professionals, making it an ideal environment for both learning and career growth.

What business leader do you admire most? I admire Satya Nadella for transforming Microsoft through a culture of empathy and continuous learning. His leadership demonstrates that organizational success is not just driven by strategy, but by mindset; shifting a company from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all.”

This resonates with my own leadership philosophy of combining technical excellence with people-centered leadership.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI?

In labs for Developing New Products and Services, we used AI tools to conduct rapid, large-scale user testing – gathering insights from over 70 respondents in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.

This experience highlighted AI’s ability to accelerate decision-making and expand access to data, while reinforcing the importance of human judgment in interpreting results and guiding strategy.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Nigel Walker (Class of 2026) stands out for his leadership as President of the African American MBA Association (AAMBAA). He was intentional in building community, launching initiatives that fostered connection and growth, and leading with authenticity.

What impressed me most was his consistency – he modeled the values he promoted, making it easy for others to trust and follow his leadership.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Publish a widely-recognized framework or book on leading technology-driven change in complex organizations.
2. Speak at global forums shaping how leaders approach technology, strategy, and organizational transformation.

What made Adeola such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Every once in a while, you meet a student whose presence immediately changes the dynamic of a room in the best possible way. Adeola has been that student for me. I first met Adeola when she interviewed for a LEAD Facilitator role at Chicago Booth School of Business. LEAD is a leadership development experience held during orientation where second-year students design and facilitate modules for incoming first-year students. The goal is to help them build strong leadership skills while reflecting on how they want to show up and be perceived as leaders on campus and beyond.

When I first met Adeola in her interview, my reaction was an immediate yes. She brought a level of thoughtfulness, energy, and curiosity to the group interview that made it clear she would add something meaningful to the team. I served as both her instructor for the LEAD Facilitator Lab and her leadership development coach, which gave me the opportunity to work with her closely over the course of the program. Once we began working together, that instinct was quickly confirmed. Adeola asks thoughtful questions not to diminish others, but out of genuine curiosity. It is one of the reasons her peers selected her for our “Yes, And” Award, which recognizes the facilitator who best validates others’ perspectives while building upon them. She embodies that spirit effortlessly by creating space for others while confidently contributing her own ideas.

One moment that captures her leadership occurred when the facilitators were collaboratively designing learning modules on experimentation and feedback. At one point, the group wanted to remove a portion of the module that several members felt lacked value. Rather than dismissing their perspective, Adeola thoughtfully shared why that section had been meaningful to her the previous year and brought concrete examples of how she and others had applied those lessons to their leadership development.  Her reflection prompted the group to reconsider, and they ultimately kept the section, strengthening the module for the next cohort.

Adeola also consistently pushed her team toward excellence. She respectfully challenged her peers when she felt they were not contributing in meaningful ways, and she took great care in reviewing the group’s work to ensure the content, citations, and overall presentation were clear, thoughtful, and visually appealing. I saw that same intentionality in our coaching sessions, where Adeola consistently sought to understand how she showed up for others and how she could grow as a leader. She approached feedback with humility and curiosity and actively experimented with ways to refine her leadership presence. In my opinion, Adeola truly represents the best of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business community: thoughtful, curious, collaborative, and deeply committed to growth. I wholeheartedly recommend her for recognition as one of the Poets & Quants 100 Best & Brightest MBA students for the Class of 2026.”

Jamila Anderson
jcanderson@uchicago.edu
Associate Director of Alumni and Volunteer Experience
University of Chicago

DON’T MISS: THE 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBAS: CLASS OF 2026

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.